The week-long Swachhata campaign at the Cochin port concluded here on Monday with a programme in which K.V. Thomas, MP, was the chief guest. A.V. Ramana, chairman in-charge of the Cochin Port Trust, presided.
A video album on Swachh Bharat, written, composed and sung by a team of musicians from the Cochin Port Trust was released by Mr. Thomas, who handed over a compact disk to Mr. Ramana. The Port Trust also gave away prizes to winners of various competitions.
A communication from the Cochin Port Trust said a major cleaning-up operation was taken up as part of the Swachhata Hi Seva and Swachhata Pakhwada as part of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi on October 2. The cleaning-up programme started on September 15.
Volunteers from all departments of the Port Trust worked under the leadership of the chairman in-charge to clean up various places both inside and outside the port area during the period. Wharves, vessels, parks, roads and public spaces were cleaned up as part of the campaign. The civil engineering department of the port was instrumental in removing about a hundred tonnes of garbage from different parts of the port area during the campaign period.
Around a hundred employees from the Port Trust also engaged in cleaning up half-a-km stretch of the beach in Fort Kochi on September 25. A lorry-load of garbage was removed during the cleaning-up process.
The Port Trust is building a 2.1-km walkway along the backwaters on the sides of NH 966B on Willingdon Island and a large quantity of garbage was removed from the stretch of road between CIFT Junction and Alexander Parambithara Bridge.